Puja pandals encourage reading, use of ink pens

kolkata: Durga Puja wasn't about merry-making alone. Two community Puja organisers utilised the opportunity to urge young people to develop reading habits and use fountain pens to reduce environmental pollution.

Trinayanee Kankurgachi APC Park took an initiative to create an awareness about the use of fountain pens and thus reduce plastic pollution caused by use-and-throw pens.

They decorated the pandals with old photographs of Sulekha ink, empty ink bottles and fountain pens, which were once a household name in Bengal. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Moitra brothers from Rajsahi—now in Bangladesh—started manufacturing ink during the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Sulekha has made a grand come back and different varieties of ink have been introduced in the market. More and more people across age have started using fountain pens. In many schools, use of fountain pens has become mandatory.

At Babubagan, the pandal was the replica of a library. Years back, there were libraries in every locality. Due to non-availability of readers, most of the non-government aided libraries have become a matter of the past. The organisers said the sole purpose was to inspire the young people to read books. Pictures of great people were put up on the walls and racks were stacked with books on different topics and languages.